The classic Beni Ouarain carpet design has a network of diamonds made up of relatively fine black lines on a white or cream ground.The Beni Ouarain are a confederation of 17 Berber tribes, whose ancestors may already have been settled in the most northeasterly part of the Middle Atlas in Morocco by the 9th century AD. One part of each family used to cultivate fields in the valleys, while the others migrated with their flocks and tents to the mountains in summer, descending in winter to the hill country.(...)In these mountain regions one can nevertheless still find the ancient breed of small sheep whose excellent wool is responsible for the quality of Beni Ouarain rugs and textiles.The Beni Ouarain pile-weaving tradition may date back as far as the tribe's arrival in their present settlement region around the turn of the last millennium. This suggestion is based on the need for these tribes to produce textiles for protection against winter cold in the highland areas.As is true of most tribes in the Middle Atlas, the Beni Ouarain did not use carpets as floor covers, but rather as beds and bedding. This explains the loose structure of the rugs, which adjust to the shape of the body and offer effective protection against the cold. (Blazek, Gebhart. White giants: Carpets of the Beni Ouarain and Related Moroccan Nomadic Tribes)